How to draw animals - Part 1

I was thinking about the illustrations that I most enjoyed painting and realized that some of them are of animals, that's why it occurred to me that the next step in this drawing learning process had to be related.

I've found a very precise book written by Vilppu (Glenn Vilppu), titled Drawing Animals. It is striking to find similarities in the teachings of this American artist with the Japanese authors of the book that we studied in the first series of tutorials.

Comparison

The author decides to introduce us to the anatomy of quadruped animals, comparing them with human anatomy.

He highlights the pelvis, the difference in the corners of what would be the back of humans and are the upper edges of quadrupeds.

In men, the important line is the iliac crest (the upper corner of the pelvis). While both the dogs and horses have a similar importance the tuber coxae (center of the pelvis).

To achieve the symmetry that is created between the pelvis and the upper part of the scapulae with the shoulders we can represent it with a box.

The author proposes a clear procedure. He points out that the most important element in any living being is his attitude or gestures. He recommends concentrating on the flow of the drawing and not so much on the anatomical lines - a very common and easy mistake to make -.

A start would be to draw an approximation of the spine with something that indicates the position of the head, then add the rib cage. shoulders and pelvis.

5 and 6 Step 1, feel the flow in the use of the lines freely that will help you to have a complete sense of the action

7 and 8 Step 2, At this point, you have to indicate the legs. When drawing an action you have to concentrate on placement and proportions.

9 and 10 To draw the joints we can use spheres, as the manga artists explained in the previous series.

The author tells us that one of the best ways he knows to learn something is by comparing similar forms and seeing the differences.

Cats & Dogs

The author decides to start the book with the study of animals with the dog (13) and the cat (12) because most of us have a cat or a dog nearby that we can study. Plus, they have many similarities and at the same time marked differences.

This illustration allows us to compare the human skeleton with a dog's. Having a general knowledge of the anatomical structure will make our drawings more convincing and give us more confidence when drawing.

Some examples following the basic procedure that we explained at the beginning. It is important not to start charging us with details. First goes the action (16), then the volume (17) and then the detail (18 and 19)

I think we have enough to practice for today. In the next part, we will see farm animals, we'll analyze in detail how to draw horses and many more animals.